Lawyer: McClinton-Hunter's accuser recants accusations

PLANO, Texas -- One of the attorneys for Darius McClinton-Hunter says a teenage girl has recanted accusations she was forced to perform oral sex by the prep football standout and son of major league All-Star Torii Hunter.

Howard Shapiro, attorney for McClinton-Hunter, says his legal team has obtained "audio and written statements from her recanting her acccusations."

"This young man's face has been on the front of the newspaper and his family's name has been dragged through the mud," Shapiro told USA TODAY Sports moments before a news briefing on the case was to begin.

"The Prosper police need to drop this case immediately and apologize to the family. Our goal is to have this dropped so this young man can carry on in the direction his life was headed."

The press conference was held at Gleneagles Country Club, a 1,700-member golf club where McClinton-Hunter's attorneys are members. Torii Hunter lives about a 20-minute drive north. The Los Angeles Angels outfielder attended the press conference but did not speak.

Todd Shapiro, Howard's son and another attorney for McClinton-Hunter, said Torii Hunter's absence from the Angels will continue until the matter is resolved. The Angels played their fourth game without their starting right fielder on Thursday; he was placed on baseball's restricted list Monday.

"His kids come first," Todd Shapiro said. "He's here as a father, not a baseball player. Baseball will be there. He wants to stay until the conclusion of this matter."

According to Todd Shapiro, Howard's son and another attorney for McClinton-Hunter, a family friend who lives with Hunter's sons received a call from the alleged victim. She recanted any allegations of sexual assault against Darius, according to Howard and Todd Shapiro.

The family friend recorded the phone call -- single-party consent calls are legal in Texas -- but the lawyers will not release text or audio for fear of her being identified. Todd Shapiro said he did not know if the girl who recorded the call had reported it to police.

"We're asking any member of the Prosper Police Department or the Collin County courts to reach out to us to deliver this statement," Todd Shapiro said. "We are demanding this case be dismissed. We are demanding that his record be immediately expunged. If they refuse to do that we're ready to go to trial."

Police in Prosper, a wealthy suburb north of Dallas, had said Wednesday that they still expected to add to sexual assault charges filed this week against five high school students.

According to the Warrant of Arrest and Detention obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the 16-year-old girl said that a juvenile carried her into the closet of a bedroom and there the juvenile and McClinton-Hunter "took their clothes off and then pulled her up and tried to take her clothes off." The girl said she told them, no, "but they pulled her shorts and underwear off against her will." The girl said she told them no again and they kept asking her "to do stuff with them." She said no again and started yelling for her friend. While she was in the closet, the girl said she "was forced to give Darius oral sex." She reiterated she performed the oral sex on McClinton-Hunter against her will. She said the only thing she did willingly was kiss McClinton-Hunter earlier.

"Information continues to come," Assistant Chief Gary McHone told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday as an investigation continued into an alleged May 4 incident involving the students and at least one 15- or 16-year-old girl, whom The Dallas Morning News reported was taken to a closet and forced into a sex act.

McClinton-Hunter's attorneys said Thursday that the party in question was attended by "six or seven young people," and that three of them, including McClinton-Hunter, were 17 or older.

Overall, five students have been charged in the alleged attack, two as adults, three as juveniles.

The case revolves around a knot of Prosper students who call themselves "Team Snapback." Prosecutors allege some members of the group drug young girls and engage in forced sex, according to The Morning News.

Two Prosper students — who asked for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the charges — told USA TODAY Sports that they've seen video of such encounters. Four others said they've seen recordings of beatings of outnumbered opponents.

Prosper Independent School District assistant superintendent Michael Goddard said school officials had been unaware of Team Snapback, hadn't heard of videos of sexual encounters taken by students and were given no advance notice of the arrests — which were made at the high school.

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